Challenge
by Brijearin
Summary: A storm is coming and Zuko and his ship mates take shelter in a small cove. Commander Zhao soon arives to add tension to the air.
1. Default Chapter

((Well his is my first Fan fiction. I will update every saturday ifI can. I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender. Nor do I make any money off of this or any fan fics to come. Please R&R. Have fun.))

Zuko looked at the clouded sky with a worried frown. The storm looked like a killer and he didn't feel like fixing his ship again, not so soon after his run in with the commander. But finding the Avatar was his number one priority.

Mentally struggling with what he should order his helmsman to do, he looked out over the vast expanse of, stormy blue gray, open ocean around him. His golden eyes scanned the waters looking for any form of shelter. Even the commander wouldn't be fool enough to sail in this weather. Not this far away from any fire nation port, at least.

Hie eyes widened as he finally allowed his gaze to rest upon a small dot in the distance. After two years at sea, he had learned to tell land when he saw it. But to make sure he wasn't sending them on a wild goose chase this time he grabbed the spyglass from the table his uncle was playing his game on and raised it to his good eye.

The focus of the glass was off and it took him a few moments to fix it so he could see if it was really an island. Or land of any sort for that matter. Slowly he turned to look in the direction of the dot, his mind already spinning if what would happen if this weren't an island. What would happen if they didn't find a safe place to anchor in?

His fears where dispelled when the dot grew larger and closer in the spyglass. The trees, popped up from the ground that seemed to start in open-ocean. A small smirk seemed to flow onto his lips for a moment before it vanished when he realized what he was doing.

"To the island," he called up to the man at the wheel, knowing that one of the men had been watching him. After he heard a response that sounded like 'yes sir' did he moved to the bow of the ship. He kept his face smooth of any joy at having found a place to keep his men and ship safe for the storm. He just prayed that the commander didn't. And that the men ended up at the bottom of the sea.

Gradually the ship turned and headed to the distant shore, the currents seemed to be fighting them. If he didn't know any better he would say that a strong water bender was on the island and was determined as heck to stay alone. Or perhaps just didn't want a fire navy ship hitting their shore.

Tossing the thought out of his head he glared at the approaching island. His good eye squinted to the same amount as his bad one. But the scar wouldn't let it get any smaller. His glare only seemed to get worse as his thoughts turned to the person that had ruined his life. The fact that his honor would never recover haunted him as long as he was awake. Yet, the fact that the scar had given him the chance to fight the Avatar already seemed to start the evening of the balances.

"Prince Zuko, please come sit down and join me for a game," came the voice of his uncle. The old man was always trying to get him to forget the scar, act as if he was not a banished prince. But, those things where not easy to forget. In fact they where impossible. If he weren't banished then he wouldn't be here. He would be sitting in his palace and be training to take his father place one day, training to rule the world.

"Uncle, we have to get to that island," Zuko said after a moment's pause. He hated that he was guarding what he said even with his uncle. But, ever since his run in with the commander he had been a little more careful with what he said to anyone. After all lying was a fine art that he had never really had to practice before.

"And you standing there will not get us there any faster," his uncle said in his simple even voice. He knew that what had been said was the truth. Thought he didn't like to admit it, his uncle almost always was.

Opening his mouth he snapped it shut when he found that he had nothing to say. As angry fire poured through his veins he moved away from the bow sitting down next to his uncle and watched the fire master play the rest of his game.

After his uncle finished he once again offered to play a game with him, he declined and went back to the bow to watch as the island finally came into normal view. A self-satisfied smile tried to worm its way onto his lips, but his years as his fathers' son kept it far from his face.

"It will only be a few minutes," his uncle said coming up behind him, slightly startling him.

"Yes."

"Will you have us camp on the shore or here?"

"The men have been on the ship for to long. A stop will do us all some good," he said after a slight pause. He knew it to be true but didn't think that he would have justified his actions to anyone. He never would have had his father not banished him.

His uncle didn't say a thing as he moved away slowly. The soft sigh that escaped him reached the ears of the young prince but did little to easy his already troubled mind. In fact both of them where in need of something out of the ordinary. Required something that would, for a time, get their mind off of the failed attempt to capture the Avatar.

He didn't move from the bow until long after they had placed most men ashore. They wouldn't let him off until they knew the island to be safe, in other words until they had checked to see if any earth benders where on it. And despite knowing that he did have to live for his people to draw some form of hope, most of the masters had already forgotten that he was still alive.

"My prince? Prince Zuko, the boat is ready to take you to the island," one of his men said, effectively breaking his ugly line of thought. Yet he didn't reply as he normally would have. Giving the man a nod he moved quickly to the side of his ship and over the rail. The rope ladder was slick with sea foam already but it didn't slow him down.

"Prince Zuko, slow down," his uncle said harshly as he glanced up to see why the men had such tight frowns on their faces.

Once more the boy ignored the words of his elder and allowed his weight to slide down the ropes and into the boat, gently rocking it. As soon as he was seated the men at the oars started to pull it away from the ship, heading to the island.

The waves seemed to be pushing the tiny boat back, trying to keep it from the shore. Yet for all the seas might the fire nations' men where stronger. And for once in a great while, things where as they should be in the young princes mind.

Yet despite the men's best efforts the boat made little way. He opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by his uncle.

"Looks like a water bender at work. Are you sure that no one else is on the island?" he asked looking at the head guard, his dark eyes challenging. The fire that Zuko had often seen in the eyes of men much younger had come back, yet the old man kept it under lock and chain. It was truly as his uncle had said over a year ago, "Fire is a deadly force, but the deadliest is what you don't expect."

"Sir we made a thorough search of the land. There is no place for anyone to hide except the trees," the man said is defense of himself. And even though his legs shook with fear he kept his voice and face level, a task that Zuko had yet to master.

His uncle nodded but kept a slightly grim look to his face to show his displeasure at the words that had been used. The head guard had not said that no one else was on the island. And, the fact that they where now being pulled to shore, by that same ever disagreeable current, meant that matters where out of his hands.

While his uncle was unhappy with the prospect of enemy benders being on shore, he was ecstatic. He ad beaten the commander but, he had yet to truly prove his metal against a true bender. His uncle usually dealt with any of them that came into the picture. Not that many of them would, but there had been a few.

"Zuko…ZUKO!" his uncle said louder this time around after realizing that his nephew was no longer with them in the boat.

"Yes uncle," he replied not bothering to look at the man teaching him the proper basics of fire bending.

"You should not leave camp until the men have made a better search," the old master said giving the boy in front of him a small frown.

"Understood," Zuko said after a moment. He did understand his uncle, knew why he wanted to keep him safe. But the fact that he was a teenager, one that had fairly defeated the commander, meant that he could take care of himself. No matter what anyone said.

The men in the boat passed along worried glances to each other when they didn't think the old man was looking but he didn't miss them. How could he? The silence hanging over them had all but destroyed any comfort of getting of f the ship even for a day's time.

Silently two jumped out as the boat came within feet of the shore and pulled it up out of the waters reach. They acted as if the waves pounding on their legs didn't feel like they could break even the strongest of bone. Both acted like the proud warriors that they had built themselves up to be.

When they had finished getting the boat to a safe place the rest of the men got off and formed two lines to wait for their prince and the brother in law of their high lord to get off and claim the island as their own.

Zuko rose but allowed his uncle off first, a sign of respect after his rude treatment of him earlier. After both of them where on solid ground the paused to look at the land that would claim in the name of the fire nation. In the name of the man that had banished his own son. And that fact touched at hatred so deep inside of Zuko that even he was not aware of how far it went.

"How large is it?" his uncle asked as he kept looking around.

Both had been more then pleasantly surprised to find a type of tree that the earthers called palm trees. They had them at home, but they really didn't last long, not with out water. Yet the trees on their own where not enough to truly get the worried reaction that both had. The tall hills that rose, moving higher to the center, would be perfect places for people to hide. And the fact that moving from one to the next

wouldn't be too hard, at least by the look of things, meant that the guards had more then likely over looked a bender of some sort, just waiting to get even with them for some horrible wrong that had been committed.

And the plane on this part of the island, the place they would be staying, had almost no protection except the sea and earth kingdom ships could attack that way without a second thought. Maybe it would be better not to tell his father about an Island that had almost nothing to give to them and all advantages for their enemies to use. Maybe it would be best to never tell him that they had been in this area again. Zuko knew such thoughts where only dreams of ignorant fools. They would tell his father, and it would be used, if only as a port for ships to stock up in.

"Only hiding place is in the trees?" his uncle asked with a raised brow after not receiving and answer to his previous question. He seemed relaxed enough; though he claimed the tea gave him that. But in truth he was stewing at the thought that the men had barely even glanced around to see what it was truly like.

The men looked properly ashamed of themselves but didn't say a word to make things worse, a fact that would not be over looked. They had not done a job and where going to be punished in some way. Though Zuko wasn't sure what would be a proper punishment he did have some ideas that would get them to think twice before simply lying to him again.

"You will build shelter strong enough to hold during the harsh rains to come. If your shelter does not hold, you will not be coming with us," he said. His voice was far to calm and level for his liking but he was not going to say it again.

"Yes, Prince Zuko," the men said in unison as if some invisible commander was looking on with a whip.

"Get to it, he snapped when he saw that they were just going to stand there. As the men jumped to do as bid he looked at his uncle to see if he had done the right thing. After all he did have to be harsh with these men didn't he?

The simple nod from his uncle was all that he needed. But the proud smile on his lips assured him that he had done well. His uncle let his face go blank once more as he turned to look back at the vast island before them. He held himself in perfect form but there was stiffness in his body that told of his age.

"I will go check for a source of fresh water," Zuko said to ease the old mans mind. He turned to walk deeper into the island when he turned back to look at his uncle. He hadn't moved or uttered a sound even after he had said he was doing just what he had been told not to do.

His golden eyes gazed traveled behind his uncle as he spotted something sitting on the distant horizon. Though straighten his eyes as he might he couldn't make out what it could be. Letting his mind tell him it was just storm clouds he turned and trotted to the nearest hill.

As he came to the crest he looked down the other side only to find another plane much like the one hey would use for camp. The similarity between the two planes was more then a little unsettling. Taking a deep breath to calm his screaming nerves; he trotted down the other side slowly making his way to the next hill between him and the center.

Several hills and matching planes later he gave a sigh of defeat. He had already been to the center, had looked as far as his eyes could see, and not one clue as to a river, spring or any other form of fresh water had been found. Looking at the hills on the other side he could see the same pattern that he had just jogged and was grateful for the shape of the island, for the easy of seeing what it held. Yet the fact that there was a bit of a forest, thick enough to block his view of all the land did nothing to ease his mind.

"Zuko," his uncle called from a few hills back.

"Coming," he muttered knowing his voice was to low for anyone but him to hear. But he had at least proved to himself that there was no large group of people on the island. And that was all that mattered. Water could simply be taken from the stores on the ship and more collected from the rain that would undoubtedly come during the night.

His glare could have turned the bright green grass a deadly brown. He let his mind turn over the current and the lack of hiding places on the island. Was it possible that this island just had a strong natural current? Things like that had happened before. He just couldn't get his mind to accept that for a fact. Some where deep in his gut he knew that there was more to the current then he had given it credit for.

It took him about half an hour to reach the hill his uncle had been on, his mind kept his feet slow. But his uncle was still there waiting for him to rejoin the group. The fact didn't surprise him, not after his failed attempt to get the Avatar, even though his uncle never seemed to care about that.

"Yes uncle?" he asked as soon as he could clearly see the odd look in the elder mans eyes. That look put his nerves on an even higher level.

"It looks like we will not be the only ones to stay on this island," he said turning to look down at the beach just barely in sight from their lowered hill.

"Commander Zhao?" he asked glaring at the fire navy ship that had moved up next to his. He hadn't expected to be in the same waters as that man ever again. Though in reflection he knew just how babyish that sounded.

"He needs shelter as well. And as small as the cove is, it's better then open ocean," his uncle said in his normal informative tone, the one he had learned would always be there for his firebending basics lessons.

Zuko said nothing but fire crackled along the fist his right hand had made, giving his anger a most real form. He moved to start out for the beach only to have his uncle place an arm in his way. "School your temper. If you deny him this shore then you have lost," he said before moving on himself, with a slow deliberateness that worried the young prince for a moment before his temper once again came flaring back.

Like always he felt he had a grip on it and started to move only to find that his uncle wouldn't let him pass again. "You will never master firebending if you can't channel your passion," he said simply before moving at his normal pace to great the commander as he landed on shore.

Zuko thought about that for a moment and gave a small smile, one full of hate and malice. If his uncle wanted him to channel his energy and passion then he would. Right into the commanders' face if he got his way. With a nod at the idea he started down to the shore in a better mood for dealing with the arrogant man that would make this a night all of them would love to forget.


	2. Commander Zhao

((Well I knowI already said this but I will only be updating on saturadys. I Don't care what you have to say about this story, I like it, so go ahead and say what ever you want. I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender. Nor do I make any money off of this fiction or anything else I may post here. So have fun.))

"Well it is an honor to share a shore with you two again. How have you been Prince Zuko?" Commander Zhao asked as he stepped from the boat that had ferried him across the shallow waters of the cove.

He looked the same as the last time Zuko had seen him, self-important and as arrogant as any one could be. But he did seem to have more restraint with his moods than before. After all it couldn't be easy for the commander to stand there after his defeat at the young boys hands.

"It is nice to see you again as well Commander Zhao. Please join us for some supper," Zukos' uncle said before he had been given a chance to say something that would insult them all.

"That would be pleasant," he replied before looking at the men standing just out of earshot, all present and accounted for. His gaze didn't stay on them, but moved on to sweep the plane that made their camp.

"So few huts," he murmured to the older man in a slightly worried voice. "Do all of your men have houses?" he asked after a moment's pause.

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, ever so sure."

"Where are you and the prince going to sleep?"

"In the central one," was the easy reply that Zuko gave, to stop the commander from saying anything else to harm his already damaged reputation. The light that had lit up Zhao's eyes went out as he was once again denied the chance at having something over the boy prince.

The men looked at Zuko with a mix of surprise and joy at having their prince not shamed by his temper or his lack of planning. But then again all of them new deep down he would have taken one anyway. He was the prince after all.

A silence that seemed to scream in his ear made Zuko mutter an excuse of needing to find water before nodding a goodbye to the two masters and turning to walk back to the hills he had just left. He had done well, of that he was sure but even he had limits as to what he could force himself to do. And staying in that man's presence was one of the things even his father didn't do too often or to long.

His long strides carried him out of earshot of the two men all to quickly for his liking yet he knew his uncle had made some reason for finding water to be important knowing that he had tried for as long as he dared. The top to the closest hill didn't show him anything different than the time before, but he had a sinking feeling that someone was watching him. And they most definitely didn't serve his father.

Glaring at the air around him, he went down only to move left in the little valley between hills. He didn't know why he hadn't done that before. The fact that the hills seemed to give a good view had been good enough at the time. But there were still places that he couldn't see, places the might hold water or enemies.

He knew that he shouldn't be taking on a large group at once even if he had been good enough to defeat a master, they could still overwhelm him. Tossing that thought out of his head he marched to the next hilltop to look to the center.

The view from here was the same, only the bobbing ships and movement on his plane was different. Yet those things didn't really contribute to the feeling that something wasn't right. He tried to shrug it off but it just came back stronger then ever.

"Stop being stupid," he hissed at himself as he turned to look out at the sea. His good eye went wide as he saw the first colors of the setting sun touching the gentle water. But the peace that the lights gave him was short lived.

As a fire nation warrior he had been trained to see things as they really were. Quickly turning his eyes to the area where the ships had anchored he saw the swells that had made getting to the island so much trouble. But now, even a full five degrees away, the water was smooth as a river tumbled stone.

Turning, to move to another hill, he took one more sweeping glance around to see if he could spot anything that just didn't add up, but found nothing to support his suspicion. Even the waves were not that much help. A current could be on the other side of the island and so this side would be safe, he knew that much. But the tickle feeling, that seemed to grow stronger each moment that he was on this cursed island, just wouldn't let him think that it was just a normal current.

After not seeing anything he went back down to move to the next hill on his right. And once again the only things he could see different where the camp and the lack of waves. And that was how almost all of the hills were. But on the other side of the island for his camp he did find something that made him smile.

There was a small spring that formed a tiny waterfall feeding a modest stream heading to a second cove. This would be a far better place to set up a true camp. Then again he was still debating if he really wanted to let his father know of this island.

"Not like I have a choice thanks to that…" his voice trailed off as he once again set to looking at the area he had just entered. The water looked clean and clear but he knew better than to drink any of it. He had seen enough men die that way to know what could really happen.

But the thing that drew his golden gaze was the waterfall. He had not seen that many before, even for one as world traveled as he. And who was he to deny himself a closer look? Just looking couldn't kill him, right?

Moving quickly he picked his way around the small pool at the base of the fall and took a few steps closer only to freeze in his tracks. Just behind the sheet of water it looked like there was a little hole. And after moving closer, without realizing it, he saw that it was in fact a small cave that had more then likely been the first rout of the spring.

The caw of some bird broke his trance like state and cleared up his mind long enough for him to step back out of range of anyone that might have been hidden in the shadows of the rocks. Giving the area a piercing glare he turned and walked back the way he had come, silently praying that no one attacked him from behind as he had been told most Earthbenders would do.

Silently he kept his body ready yet forced his muscles to not tense and form knots. He thought that he heard footsteps behind him but couldn't be sure over the buzzing of the blood in his ears. He took a deep breath at the foot of the hill between him and camp and turned to see the commander stepping up beside him.

"What ever is the matter my prince? You seem scared," he said as he walked next to the banished prince of his nation. His predatory smirk unnerved the young man more then finding the cave had.

Zuko didn't reply to that, wasn't sure what he could say without sounding like a big baby and marched up the hill to the crest to stair down through the murky, shadow hour, light. He looked for his uncle and was not thrilled when he saw that the old master had more then likely placed his game inside their hut. It made getting to him that much harder.

"Don't worry my prince. My men will keep this island safe until your father decides what to do with it," the commander hissed into his ear, showing all too clearly how much he hated the boy that had damaged his pride so much.

Zuko bit his tongue to keep himself silent in the face of such open disrespect. Then again he didn't hold as much power now that he was banished. Not after he had gotten the scar that would haunt him for life. Even the best healers would not be able to do much more than allow his eyes more movement.

Starting forward again he looked for his men and saw that all of them were standing guard on the hut he had called his. Their actions troubled him some but he had more important things to deal with. The fact that there was water, and a cave, meant that they might have a better chance of surviving this storm without taking heavy blows to their water supplies.

With those thoughts on his mind he allowed the ideas of the commander and the tickle feeling he had fade into the back of his mind. Pushing the back 'door' out of the way he nodded to his uncle and moved to sit in the chair that had been placed in there for him.

The red silk moved to form around him as he let himself settle in for what he knew would be a long lecture on how he still had a long way to go before becoming a firebending master. He almost quirked a smile at that, the idea that he would just take such a lecture was entertaining. Though he wasn't sure if he could stand up to his uncle for long, the old man had many ways of making a person blame himself for something they had no part in.

"The commander said he was going to look for you," his uncle said in his calm and tea leaden voice. He looked up from his game, once more trying to beat the skill his sister had.

"Yes he spoke with me," Zuko said anger flaming from a coal into a flame that would do any firebender proud.

"Where did you go?"

"The other side of the island. Hill closest to the sea," Zuko said, his voice sounded like he was giving a report instead of telling his uncle what he had found. What, might save their hides when dealing with the evil commander.

"Any water?"

"A spring and fall," he said his voice getting quiet so as not to pass through the thin wood walls. He glanced at the door before looking back at his uncle. He waited for the older man to say something but only received a gesture to continue.

"There is a cave. I don't know how big, I didn't get close enough to find that out. But I'm sure it's a cave."

"You where not close enough to see how large it was. But you were close enough to get water on you," his uncle said with a small smile at him. Both had known that Zuko would go near as he dared. After all that was one of the good things about youth, the feeling of being invincible. Only both knew that to be a fools dream. Both had seen defeat all too clearly.

"I wasn't sure if it was a cave. So I got closer," Zuko said before he realized that he was futilely defending his actions. He shot an angry glare at his uncle before turning his head to look at the back 'door' in time to see it twitch into place.

It was no surprise to him that the commander would be listening. But the fact that his men had allowed him to the door was more then unsettling. Who were they more loyal to? That brute, or him that knew them in a truer sense. He knew who they where and what they could and would do. Or so he had thought.

"He is a man with no honor," uncle said rising to his feet and moving to the door. "Do not fault the men. They where only following orders," he said, and with that he was gone.

Zuko stayed in his seat for a few moments before he heard the sound of many men moving just outside the door. If he didn't know any better he would believe that they where getting ready for a fight. Perhaps he was right and there had been people hiding in that cave. Or maybe even in the areas of the hills he had not seen.

Getting to his feet so quickly that his chair was knocked back to the ground, he made a fist and willed some fire to play along the knuckles. With a small smirk he raced to the door and pushed it out of his way, nearly tearing it down in the process.

The light outside was less then it had been, yet being a firebender he knew that darkness held no value, unless you gave it one. He let his eyes take in the empty plane before he figured out that it wasn't really empty. There were people, just to his back, on the other side of his hut.

Silently cursing them for their lack of planning he moved around the hut, crouching low praying to gain the element of surprise. For all he knew at the moment he could be the only one free. And that was just how he was going to play this little game.

He slowly rose from his crouched position as he saw that the people where his. They were in a circle, watching something in the center but he couldn't see what. Looking up one of the men on the other side spotted him but said nothing at his glare. Crouching down again he moved to the hill and started to climb it.

He stopped half way to turn and see if any one noticed that he was there and was not surprised to find that several men had. Though none of them seemed to have raised the alarm, that their prince was once again escaping them.

Smirking to himself he finished the climb and looked down on the circle, standing to his full height. He could see his uncle and the commander mock fighting in the center. More then likely they where testing each other, seeing what they could do. Though it didn't seem like a good idea to him. Not with a possible enemy sharing their shores.

Turning he trotted down the backside of the hill and into the valley between it and the next. He turned right this time, praying that no one bothered to look on this side. Then again he wouldn't be on just one level for long.

He let his long legs go to work on the distance between his hill and the next one, stopping at the top to see if there was any thing massively wrong. He blinked back a roll of his eyes at his stupidity. If there where people in that cave, then they knew he was here and more then likely looking for them. They would not be caught out in the open until they felt like it.

Trotting to the valley he started to climb the next knoll, knowing that the next one would have to be closer to the center, at least if he didn't want to be found all too easily. He didn't even look this time, knowing what he would find but as he trotted to the taller hill he stopped as something pushed its way into the front of his mind.

The sea had been calm on both sides of their ships. He knew that that was not normal, as far as his limited knowledge told him. But if there was a water bender here why had they not moved on? They knew better then to attack a fire navy ship, knew it carried many men. So why had one stayed?

He sat down to think for a moment and found another thing to give him a headache. Water benders didn't like it this far south. Getting to his feet he started running with all that he had to the cave. If there had been people there he would find proof.

Yet even as his feet slapped at the ground, and his lungs burned as if on fire he knew that there was no one in that cave. No one had used it, at lest not in a way he would be able to spot. Despite this knowledge burning in the back of his mind he forced himself to run faster and soon found himself in front of the waterfall.

Taking a deep breath so as to place a cooling wind on the fire in his chest he looked around peering into the dark seeing noting more then five inches in front of his face. Swallowing against the lump in his throat he took a small step forward and past the wall of water.

Wiping the water out of his eyes he glanced around trying to see what the water and darkness hid. It took him a moment to remember that he could create flame to show him that. Opening his hand, palm to the roof of the cave, he focused his energy into a small, controllable, flame that gave just enough light for him to see that the cave was far deeper that he had thought.

Looking at the moon slowly rising on the other side of the curtain of water he knew that soon the men would stop fighting. And, soon they would return to their huts to settle down for the night. He knew that it would only take them a few minutes to figure out where he had gone, and to come after him.

Suppressing a slight shudder of fear he moved a few feet into the cave, far enough for the light the moon had cast to vanish, leaving him completely reliant on his own flame. Glancing around once more he felt his temper start to rise.

He was acting like a coward. Stopping after every few steps to see if he was being followed. Letting out an angry growl he stalked into the open mouth, glaring for all he was worth. His step didn't falter until his feet stopped in front of a fork in the tunnel.

He peered down the path to the right and then the one to the left. He couldn't tell which one was best, they looked the same. Looking up as if to ask the ultimate force why it was testing him on this day, he started down the right path. He just prayed that he remembered his uncle right.

"Remember Zuko when traveling a maze always turn to the same side. That way you can never get lost." The old man had been in a happy mood, more then likely because that had been a time before the banishment, a time before the scar.

Putting more energy into his flame he marched down the tunnel, holding his head high. If any one was in there he would deal with them. He just prayed that it wasn't they who found him.


	3. The Cave

(I just want to thank my reviewers. You have no idea how much your words mean to me. And I'm happy that all of you like it. Please keep the reviews coming for they give me a reason to keep this going. So I guess that I'll get on with the fic. And I'm sorry about this being a day late. My computer didn't want to work, so i couldn't get this chapter up on time.)

Retired general, Iroh slowly walked into the 'hut' that he and his nephew would be sharing for as long as the storm kept them there. And, from what he could tell, they would be there for a while. He paused just inside of the bark flap serving as a door when his eyes came to rest on the empty room.

He was not surprised that his nephew had vanished while he and Zhao had been 'fighting' but in this storm he really wished that the young prince would just sit still. After the weather was better he wouldn't care what the hotheaded boy did; they weren't going anywhere any time soon any way.

He didn't know where that thought came from but it was there and he trusted it. It had been with him when he had been younger, a real general fighting with his men to win the war for his brother. The feeling had always told him when something bad was going to happen, forewarned him about the attacks that would have killed all of his fire benders.

Sighing heavily he moved to his seat as one of the men that served on his nephews ship came in. The man bowed in respect to him before bowing his head in 'shame'. He said nothing even as another man came in bringing Iroh his tea.

"What is it," he asked after taking a small sip, careful so as not to burn his tongue.

"Prince Zuko took his leave while we were training," the man said his voice calm and level, a tone he had never really used since joining this ship. Prince Zukos temper had often given him reason to hold his tongue.

"As is all to clear to me," the old man said mostly to himself. He took another sip as he thought about where the boy would have gone. The hills would not be an all too logical place, one there being too many and the other that they were far to out in the open.

"What will you have us do?" the solder said after a lengthy pause. He glanced at the man that had brought the tea only to get a small glare; neither of the men liked each other all that much.

"Go to your huts and get some rest. We will find my nephew in the morning," Iroh said before once again letting his mind wander to all of the hiding places on this small bit of land.

"Yes Sir," they both said before bowing once more and leaving the 'hut' to their own.

The retired general let go of his stiff, proper, posture. He had been on pins and needles all day, first with his nephew being so upset at them having lost the Avatars trail and then with Commander Zhao. What old man really needed that kind of stress day in day out?

Bringing the cup of tea to his lips once more he thought back on the conversation he had had with the prince.

"There is a cave. I don't know how big, I didn't get close enough to find that out. But I'm sure it's a cave." The prince had said.

"He always did have trouble sitting still," Iroh said to himself with a faint smile, one full of sadness and worry. He knew that Zuko could take care of himself but that was under normal conditions. If the storm flooded that cave he wasn't sure if any fire bender could survive in there.

"Lets just hope that the cave will keep him safe," he added before placing his empty cup down and moving to the 'bed that had been made from leaves left on the beach.

Commander Zhao grinned as he moved away from the door of the old mans hut. He watched silently as the two men that had left a few moments before finally entered their own huts. Oh how this was going to be a good night.

It almost made up for him having to deal with those two arrogant fools that thought that they would get the Avatar before him. He blinked as a few of his most loyal and trustworthy men stepped out of the shadows. All looked at him, waiting for instructions on what to do.

"The prince has gone to a cave. Find it and scare him out," he said softly so as not to alert the old general as to their actions.

"Yes Commander," the man closest to him said bowing slightly in respect before all of them started out to the hills at a run. None of them paused, or looked back, they never questioned orders. That was why he liked them, why they where still with him after all of these years.

Smirking to himself Zhao went to the hut that had been given to him to wait out a few hours. He wasn't sure if they would find the prince, wasn't really worried either. He knew that the boy would come back when the rain started.

Though it was doubtful he would make it if lightning started flashing across the sky. That had always been one of the prince's weaknesses. Glancing behind himself Zhao saw the first rain drop hit a print he had made in the soft sand.

A shiver of delight raced through him as thoughts of the princes final defeat ran through his head. Storming into the hut he sat down on one of the chairs that had been brought off of his ship for his use. He raised a hand already ablaze with fire as he let a dry laugh escape his lips. He would get even with the prince even if it killed him.

Of that all could be certain. And if it meant having to kill the old general then he would lie to the fire lord. He was far better at that art then the fire lord's own family. None of them had ever had a chance to practice.

He got to his feet and opened the trunk he had brought down on his own. It wasn't that he felt he had to do something to keep his men from saying he was lazy, oh that was not for him to worry about. But the fact that his most important possessions where kept in there had made it a necessity in case the ship went down.

The sharp rocks on the cove's arms worried him slightly. If the storm turned out worse then they thought, some or all the ships could be lost. But the chances of that happening where far below that which he normally worried about.

Pushing a few lose papers out of the way he pulled two books out of the trunk before flipping the lid closed with a snap that caused him to jump. He never did like the hinges on it; they never did slow the lid down.

Silently curing the trunk he went back to his seat opening the book with a red leather cover. Flipping through the pages of years gone by he stopped at the entry he had made the day before. He glared at the facts that his first mate had put down. The true facts.

If any one where to look at his logbook and then look at the prince's they would most definitely question why he was following the boy. And he couldn't afford to waist time answering them. He needed the Avatar if he wanted to move up.

Pulling a charcoal pencil out of the binding of the book he started to change the locations in the past few days. He erased the true facts after memorizing them. As much as he hated the fact that the true ones could and would cost him everything he knew better then to let them go.

After he was finished with them he took one last look at the logbook and closed it, slipping the pencil back into the binding. He placed it down on his lap before picking up the other one. Its shiny black covers glinted even in the minor light of the candles in the room.

Slowly thumbing through the pages he tried to remember the first time he had recorded his true thoughts. But the idea seemed to keep the answer just out of reach. He knew how silly it would look to others if they found out he had a journal, but it did help. At the very least it unloaded the mass of emotion that he kept bottled up inside day after day.

It was his safe place for insulting every one in the fire nation. The things he wrote in there about the fire lord would get him killed if he dared to breathe them aloud. And the comments he had made about the war, about how pointless it was, had shocked even him. But they where there, written in his own hand.

"Just my luck," he muttered as he brought the pencil he used for this book out, only to find it a stub that would do him no good ever again.

He pulled the one out of the logbook and started to write about his idea for the day. He didn't know how long it took for him to record his day, never really did, but when he was done the rain was pounding away at the beach outside and lightning was lighting up the sky, making it look like day.

Closing the book with a snap, he moved to put both it and the logbook back in the trunk. He found his feet only to have his left leg threaten to give out underneath him. He glared down at the sleeping limb before the feeling started to slowly return to it.

With a slight groan he went to the trunk and hid the two books under the lose papers before turning to face the door. And what he saw there made his blood run cold. The door stood open and several of Zukos men stood there grinning for all they where worth.

"What do you think you are doing?" he snapped at them, trying to hide how shocked and scared he was at finding them there.

The men didn't say a word as the turned and vanished into the finally dark night. They didn't seem to care that they were soaked to the bone from the storm. And for fire benders that was an even greater shock to the commander then simply finding them there.

He opened his mouth to call them all kinds of stupid before remembering that he had a job to do, and his own men were more then likely waiting for him just over the hill. Closing his mouth he pulled on his armor while steadily walking out of his hut and up, over the hill.

The men standing there, waiting where smirking up at him as he approached them. All of them were covered from head to toe with mud, but their joy was far clearer. As they moved forward to bow to him once more they froze when lightning lit the sky, giving Zhao an imposing silhouette.

"Commander, the cave in on the north shore of the island. Near a second cove," the closest man said with a slightly hesitant tone. He wasn't sure of what he was saying himself.

"Good," commander Zhao said already moving along the valley between the hills. "Is he in there?" he asked as a second thought.

"Yes Sir," the men replied as they fell in behind him moving to the cave that the prince was taking shelter in. All of them held a malicious smirk that would have scared even the commander had he turned to see them at his back.

Zuko jumped as once again thunder filled the cave, covering all other sounds. Including the sounds of his own footsteps as he moved deeper into the tunnels. His golden eyes grew wide as he tried to force his mind off of the time when he had first gained his fear of thunder.

Swallowing hard he took the next right fork. He didn't know how many he had taken after the first one but knew he could retrace his steps if need be. Yet the storm waiting for him outside the gapping hole behind the fall was all the reason he needed to stay inside.

Stopping he turned to glare at the air behind him. He could have sworn that there had been some one or thing behind him, but in the flickering light of his flame there was noting hidden. Facing the right way again he started out a little faster before he slowed himself down out of anger at his stupid nerves.

He was the prince of the fire nation. He was destined to capture the Avatar and become the best fire bender in the world. And those things would never happen if he started acting like a little kid out on their own for the first time.

Slowing his legs to the slow walk of a casual boy he started to once again truly look for some kind of evidence of someone having been in there in the past few days. And if the front of the cave was any indication there was no way that someone had used the cave as a hiding place. Not in his life time anyway.

He stopped at the next fork in the tunnel wondering how many of them there where in the cave. And how many he had yet to pass. Studying the chamber he was in he saw that for the first time, the cave was not made of just any old rock, but a fine garnet that his father had always loved.

"Great another reason for Zhao to tell him about this island," he muttered darkly to himself knowing full well that the cave would be found and the stone mined for his fathers chambers.

Letting out an angry grunt he let his legs give out under him. He had been awake for the past few days with very little sleep. Dreams of the times he had had the Avatar and had lost him, ones about the day he got the scar, and others about being banished even after capturing the Avatar haunted his dream, forcing him to stay awake until he just about passed out to keep them at bay.

He looked up at the 'ceiling' only to get hit in the forehead by a drop of water. Launching a flame up over his head he moved to the left as bits of rock came tumbling down. Closing his eyes as he leaned heavily against the stone wall he kept the pile of rocks to his right as he lay down, placing his head on his arm.

He tried remembering what it was that bothered him about this cave but his mind was already half way into the realms of sleep for him to think in a consistent line. And as the peaceful slumber he had searched for all that past week clamed him a faint, smile played upon his lips as he let the memories he had of his mother and father when he was little took his mind to a far safer place.

Zuko awoke with a groan as he started to move muscles stiff from a nap on the cold hard ground. A questioning look came over his face as he tried to figure out what he was doing on ground when he should have been in his bed on the ship.

Slowly the hours before his nap came back to him along with the fact that the chamber should have been dark without him holding any flame. Casting his gaze around to see where the light was coming from he found only a small fire on the other side of the chamber.

The wood crackled softly, as the fire destroyed it, yet the sound was far from comforting. He hadn't known that there was any wood in the cave. And he didn't remember starting it.

"Hello?" he called softly as his mind started to run with all of the things that could have happened after he fell asleep. Yet as he sat there straining to hear even the slightest sound he couldn't pick up anything that was out of the ordinary.

Rising to his feet he dusted the dirt off of his clothing before stretching his body to wake it up again, in case of a fight to be had. After several minutes of nothing happening he started to think that maybe he had created the fire before going to sleep, it made sense in his mind. Yet he also knew that if he had been able to think that up he wouldn't have gone to sleep.

Turning to the rock pile he had created before falling asleep he started down that tunnel knowing that he could be out of the cave by sunlight. That is if he was able to find his way back.

Blinking in the murky light he once again created flame over his palm, while calling himself all kinds of stupid for falling asleep where the enemy might have been. That would have been the easiest ways for him to get himself killed and prove his father, and every other idiot in the fire nation, right. That he was just a little boy that had no idea what he was doing and would never be able to live up to his fathers legacy.

He let his legs flex into a slow jog to get him to the forks quicker. As the garnet walls passed him by he started to wonder why someone would start a fire for him. Or maybe it hadn't been for him. He let his long legs do their jobs until he finally reached the first fork in the tunnels.

Thinking for a moment he picked the path that should lead him to the opening before jogging again. His breath felt hot in the air, as he let it out. Or maybe it was that the air felt dry to him, dryer then it had been before.

He passed three more forks, praying that he was picking the right tunnels before stopping to take a slight breath. He knew that he could go for hours without taking a true break but why push himself when there was no need? He knew he would get out, and until then he could walk the rest of the way for all that it mattered.

"What the…?" he asked as a scuttling sound reached his ears. Turning to face it he raised his hand, shining the fire to fill the chamber he was standing in only to find a small rat that dashed away from him as son as he was spotted.

Softly laughing at his nerves he let his feet guide him to the next chamber, and the one after that. His laughter died away after a little bit of nothing happening. He wasn't a happy person to start with and it had surprised him that he could laugh at his own foolishness.

He heard the sound of rats several more times before he came to the twelfth fork. Only the next sound that reached his ears wasn't as easy to laugh off. No not this sound for there was no way that he was wrong about this one.

Letting the fire die above his palm he moved to the edge of the tunnel praying that they wouldn't come that way. The sound of boots marching away from him along with the angry grumbling of men that had lost their target prompted him into a run as once again the flame came back to light his way.

The forks and turns passed him in a blur as he made a mad dash for what he thought to be the opening to the cave. But every time he found just another fork. And every time he heard the sound of men coming closer and closer to him as he ran.

"He went that way," cried a voice from behind him as he finally burst into the same chamber he had spent the night in. The fire was still glowing on the far side, and the pile of rocks flew in all directions as he slid to a stop.

"He's right up here."

"Don't let him get away."

Zuko looked around for a place to hide, knowing full well that there where to many for him to fight on his own even if he could think straight. Taking a shuddering breath he found no place to hide and heard more shouts of the men coming closer, All the while time was slipping by,

Glancing up he saw some roots that looked strong enough to hold him if he could just grab hold of them. Jumping and reaching up he grabbed one and used his strength to get his legs out of the way as a light came bouncing down the tunnel and into his chamber.


	4. Plots

((Well I want to thank all of the people that have reviewed Sukkiri Mizu, Elexandros, fire wolf86, Ryuu Soba, Kaibathewolf, Red Hawk K'sani. You have no idea how much they mean to me. Well I hope that you all like this new chapter.))

Zhao looked at the men that had assembled in the chamber. The cold embers of the fire seemed determined to taunt him. Zuko had stay in that very chamber, and now the boy had vanished. And there was nothing he or his men could do about it.

"Commander?" one of the men asked hesitantly. He wasn't sure if the commander would like the fact that one of his men was challenging him, or even questioning the false plans laid hours ago.

"Yes?" Zhao asked his voice tight as he let his mind run around the facts again.

Zuko had been in the cave; the fire was proof enough for that. And, his men had been chasing the boy. Yet when they had arrived in the chamber all traces of the boy vanished, no more footprints in the dust on the hard ground. No more light bouncing off of the walls before them or loud breathing coming from the scared boy.

"Shouldn't we get back to camp before the others miss us?" he asked his voice soft, almost to soft for the commander to hear. He felt his body struggle to not shake but fear was a funny emotion. It gave him the strength to say what he needed and the racing heart for the consequences of speaking up.

Zhao looked at the man for a long moment, thinking about what had been said. True if most of his men where gone there would be questions, but that wasn't a number one concern right now. He looked at the man standing before him, his dark eyes wide with fear and his face set. He looked ready to go into battle over this one little comment.

"Five of you will stay here and keep looking for the boy. The rest will return to camp with me," he said in his commanding voice, the one that always got him what he wanted.

"Yes sir," the men said as one before several of them started to file out. He watched for a moment. Yet for all his watching he wasn't seeing a single thing. He couldn't figure out why he knew he had over looked something, but the feeling that he had kept tugging at the back of his mind.

He snapped out of his daze after a few moments, in time to see the last of his men leave the chamber. Turning to look at the ones left he noted that the five where not the ones he would have expected. All of them where new to his armada, had been moved after they survived an attack on a port close to the earth kingdom.

"You five? All right then, locate the boy. And don't come back until you have defeated him," he said still in the same tone before turning and striding from the room. He didn't look back, forcing himself not to question the actions he had taken.

Yet the fact he was missing something wouldn't leave his mind. Shrugging the thought off he light his own flame above his palm and calmly walked back to the entrance of the cave. He didn't stop until he was back out in daylight, the fresh morning air rolling around him and filling his lungs.

He blinked back a gasp as soon as he saw how much of the sun was already hanging above the ground. Walking briskly back to the camp he was sharing with the boy he started to come up with a reason for most of his men to be up and about so early. Training would work with most he figured but some would have to be homesick or something, as the thoughts rolled around his mind the thoughts of the prince vanished into thin air as camp came into view.

The men looked at each other, the flames above their hands cast flickering shadows over their faces, but the fear and worry that they felt was clear to any one looking at them. Slowly they came back to themselves to remember that the commander had given them orders. Moving to different points in the chamber they started to look for places Zuko could have hidden in.

Two of them stopped under the opening to the tunnel Zuko had been running down. The knew he had been there, his footprints where proof of that, what they couldn't understand was how the boy had managed to vanish without any prints farther then half way through the chamber. He hadn't even gotten close enough to the fire to light the stupid thing.

"Look if he was here he's long gone," one of them hissed to the other before turning to walk out of the cave his head held high.

"How can you say that?"

"Easily," he replied to his friend before stepping around a bend in the tunnel, and blocking him from the others view.

"You know what the commander said," his friend whispered to himself, knowing full well, he wasn't going to hear him anyway. Well the fool might hear him but he would never listen.

"Hey lighten up. Zhao isn't that bad. All we have to do is say that we lost the body in the river. Then it went out into the sea. No one is ever the wiser," a third man said stepping up and placing a comforting hand on the poor mans shoulder.

"And what happens when Prince Zuko comes back and tells Iroh what happened?" the second man asked glaring at the hand on his shoulder. He knew he was being immature, but heck he belonged to the fire. He was impatient and hated not having his way.

"That's why we change commanders as soon as we can. Ask to stay in the next port," the third man said retracting his hand, afraid it might burst into flames from the look it was getting. "Hey look, I know that this isn't the kind of thing that you might want, but it's either really look for the boy and kill him, or run for our lives. Which would you like? I mean the fire lord might had exiled him, but Zuko is still his son," the man said before starting out on his own.

The two other men looked at him with sadness in their eyes that he didn't need. Yet both opted to act like they where looking at the fire for a moment, acting like they where doing something.

"Sir?" one of them asked walking over to him. The other hang back, unwilling to face his wrath. Not that it was a surprise to any of them.

"Yes?"

"Sir you might be the commanders second in command, but you don't belong here. Not with him at least."

"What are you saying?"

"You have heart..."

"Are you calling me weak?"

"No sir. I think your heart is what gives you your strength. But it also serves as one of your weaknesses," the man said after taking a deep breath to calm his frayed nerves. "It's just that you know what will happen if the boy gets back to his uncle, and you still won't hunt him down," the man said before slipping past him and out of the chamber praying that the waterfall had warmed up from earlier.

"You got anything to say?" he snapped at the last man, who shock his head no.

"Good," he said gesturing for the man to leave before him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath knowing that this day could cost him his life. "Good luck my prince. You're going to need it," he said over his shoulder as he moved to catch up with the four other men just outside of the cave, all grinning at the small ship in the cove.

"Maybe we weren't the only ones afraid of the storm," the men commented to each other as the sat down at the edge of the pool at the base of the fall. They allowed memories to be called up and told, knowing they had an hour to kill before going back to camp.

Zuko let out the breath he had been holding just about the entire time the second in command had been standing under him. He looked up at the ceiling of vines that had save his life. The rough fibber of two of them was still cutting into his hands as he slowly let himself start to count to see if they were, in fact, gone.

He mentally yelled at himself for his act of cowardice but he couldn't get his hands to let go. As he berated himself for acting like a child he noted that the men seemed to have left the cave, and showed no sign of coming back.

Counting to ten he finally forced his hands to let go of the vines and let his body fall heavily to the ground. He didn't try and land on his feet, his legs where still dead from the poor circulation that they had received during the stay on the ceiling.

Rolling as he hit the dusty floor he let himself lay there waiting for any sign that there had been a man sitting outside of the chamber waiting for him to make a move. Taking a deep breath before scolding himself, he was a fighter after all, if anything he would beat the men in a dual, he climbed to his unsteady feet.

As he tried to get his legs to work the proper way he lit a small flame over his hand looking at the chamber in the new light. He was surprised that Zhao had allowed the fire to burn until it had died out. But what surprised him the most, was the fact that none of them had thought to look up.

Though their stupidity had given him a chance to get even with them. Grumbling to himself he forced his feet to take a few tentative steps to the opening in the chamber before he was forced to stop due to the pain of his legs ' waking up'.

He opened his mouth to yell at himself for being so weak but closed it with a soft snap when the sound of scuttling feet grabbed his attention. It wasn't the sound of rats running about their day. More like boot shuffling down a dusty hall.

"What the…?" he asked as he moved to follow the sound back into the chamber and down the tunnel to the left. He made the light his flame cast diminish to the point where he could barely see more then a foot in front of himself.

He glanced both ways every few steps but found no hiding places, or signs that anyone else was in the cave. The Chamber he entered after a few minutes of jogging was smaller then the one that he had slept in but another fire was in it, in the same place as the one in his had been.

And the fact that this one was still going gave him a slight rush of adrenaline. He knew that someone else was in the cave with him. That they where up ahead and running for whatever reasons they had.

Silently he stood in the middle of the chamber and let his flame die for a moment as he listened to the sound of the footsteps farther own down the path to the left. He mentally wondered if he would have met up with them had he taken the left to begin with before he started to jog again, lifting his hand and flame once more to illuminate his path.

He stopped to listen to them at each chamber but they always seemed just ahead of him, always on the left. Silently cursing himself for being worried about being heard if he went any faster, he pushed himself to the point of his silent walking abilities, not sure how good they were but having nothing else to blame for how far ahead they always were, he settled on that.

He didn't slow down until after ten chambers passed him by. The fires in them all had fresh logs on them but he stopped to look at the one in the room he was in. He didn't know what but he could tell something wasn't right about it. Though the green wood and red-hot flames didn't show him anything but an unattended fire.

Shaking his head to clear it of thought he dashed down the left passage in pursuit of his pray, no longer caring if he made noise. No need to blame something if he caught the person fleeing from him.

He tried to figure out what it was that bothered him so much about how far ahead of him the person stayed, but even in an all out sprint he came no closer to his pray. And when he had to stop for a breath after several more chambers flying by without him paying attention to how many he stopped for a moment to catch his breath and to make sure he was going the right way.

The shuffling footsteps where still going down the left tunnel but there were slower now, walking pace. Zuko narrowed his eyes again as he let the flame over his fist brighten and flare up in a burst of anger and hatred at how he was acting.

The only person he needed to capture was the Avatar, not some little person hiding in a cave out of fear. But try as he might to convince himself that it didn't matter if he caught the pray, he was silently moving along without the use of his own flame.

His hands reached out before him to hit that wall and lead him to the left tunnel. He felt like getting out of the chamber took forever but he knew it to be silent for he could hear the sound of the footsteps closer then before.

He pushed himself, trying to listen with all his might. And he could hear the person turning around. Before freezing in what he could only assume was a dead end. Smirking to himself at is victory he entered the last chamber and stopped.

There was no fire in this one, but that wasn't his problem. The waterfall out side seemed to have leaked into the ceiling of the final chamber, pooling on he floor a few feet from him. And while he couldn't see the water, he could hear it, as loud as the fall outside when one entered the cave.

Slowly letting the light and ember had come to his fist he let the flame fan into a brighter light silently gasping at the sight that met him before something moved under his foot ad he fell backwards, smashing his head on the ground.

He closed his eyes in pain as he struggled to get to his feet but found that his body wasn't working. And nothing he did was going to change that.

Iroh paced his hut again. He sat down in the chair he had clamed as his as the door was opened up and Zhao came striding in. The man just looked at the retired general, before bowing slightly in respect for one of the heroes of his nation.

"Commander Zhao, please come sit and have some tea with me on this morning," he said in way of greeting knowing full well what the commander had been doing last night and early that very morning.

"Thank-you," Zhao said as he moved to sit in the chair offered to him before taking the cut Iroh handed to him. He knew how much the old man loved his tea, and was slightly honored at the thought that he had been asked to join him.

"Commander, I assume that the storm has past?"

"No sir, this is a big storm. We are merle in the center of it, a pocket of fair weather. It's shouldn't last more then another few hours," Zhao said slightly shocked that Iroh hadn't noted that. Maybe being with the boy had sapped some of his perception.

Iroh took a deep sip of tea. He mentally sighed as he wished for more of his favorite tea, but figured that jasmine would have to do for now. "How long do you think we will be forced to stay on this island?" he asked after a moment of his beloved silence. He hadn't got that much of it since Zuko had been banished, the boy just wouldn't sleep.

"Another day, two at most," Zhao said taking a sip of his tea so as not to be rude and offend the older man.

"Tell me, Commander, have you seen Prince Zuko toady? He seems to have run off. Most likely to train," Iroh said in a light voice that showed none of his concern. He hoped his acting as if this were a common thing for him to deal with. But after the disaster that had happened the last time he had tried lying to the commander he didn't feel that much hope.

"No Sir, I have not seen the prince. If I do I will tell him you wish to speak with him," Zhao said praying he didn't show how much he meant by seeing the boy.

"Thank you, Commander," Iroh said stressing the post that had been given to the man. He wasn't sure if he had truly earned it or if he had faked his way to power as he believed he had. Commander Zhao was a decent fire bender but nothing overly great. And for all his strengths he had lost to Zuko when the boy had yet to master his basics.

Commander Zhao took that comment as a dismissal and got to his feet. He bowed again before striding to the door, the purpose for him going to see the retired general forgotten for the time being. But he was sure it would come back to him.

"Zhao," Iroh said when he reached the door, stopping the taller man in his tracks. "You and your men might wish to train. And I know that the ones from my ship wish to battle with people other then each other," he said before nodding his head good-bye to the other man.

"I'll set something up," Zhao said before stepping out of the tent mentally insulting himself for his actions with the older man. He had had an agenda but he had forgotten that for some odd reason. And now he had said that he would set up a training session for the men of both ships.

Sighing heavily he moved to go to his own hut only to be stopped by one of the men he had taken with him.

"Commander, the Avatar has been spotted," he said simply not bothering to take the time for formalities.

"Where?"

"An island to the north west. It's UN-populated and UN-charted," he said softly worried about the light behind the commander's eyes. The passion for capturing the avatar and bettering himself, in the fire lords eyes.

"How long will it take to reach?"

"Two days in good weather, but with this storm before and behind us about a week. If we leave after the storm it shouldn't take more then three d..a..y..s…" he said but trailed off on the last word due to Zhao walking away from him to him hut.

"Or ignore what I have to say. It's ok I'm not important anyway," the man hissed before jogging back to the area that had been used by Zhao and Iroh the night before. The rest of the men where standing around watching as two brutes went at each other, striking out with blows that would seriously harm and possibly even kill.

"Welcome to the fire nation," he muttered under his breath as he moved to stand next to his friends not taking the time to glance back at the commander or the five men coming back from the cave waving their arms franticly.

None of the men turned to look at the new ship as it sailed into the harbor and set down anchor. They found nothing about it odd, nothing wrong at all. And besides, watching the two idiots trying to kill each other was much more entertaining then anything else they could think of.


	5. Prisoners

((I'm sorry that this is coming out on Sunday, but we lost power at my house soI couldn't get this up. Anyway I hope that you all like this chapter. Once again I want to thank all of you who have reviewed this story. It means a lot to me.))

Zuko groaned, as he once again tried to get himself up off of the ground, but the gray haze of pain made the dark walls swim before him. The pounding in his head turned into a sharp stab of pain, starting in the place at the back of his skull that had hit the ground.

Blinking to clear his vision he forced himself into a crouching position and glared at the chamber around him. The water that was dripping, and flowing, from the ceiling made splashing sounds as they hit the pool of water on the floor of the room.

He closed his eyes as the pain worsened as he climbed to his feet, his movements slow and sluggish. He turned to get a better look of the room but saw only what he had seen before his feet had gone out from under him. But that really didn't matter, but what did was there was no person in the chamber.

Gritting his teeth, he turned to leave the chamber, moving slowly so as not to upset the pain in his skull any more then it already was, when the fact he had fallen came back to him. He knew that he had been solid in his footsteps, all fire benders were. So what had caused his feet to slide?

Looking down he saw a slick of water where he had been standing. The shine of the water made him squint for a moment, as he thought about how advanced a waterbender would have to be in order to do that.

So wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't notice the bubbles issuing from the pool of water in the room. Nor the head that popped up for a breath of air before sinking beneath the surface once more. He looked up in time to see the last ripple from a drop hit the edge before turning and stalking out of the chamber, the flame over his hand shining bright with his anger at his stupidity and weakness.

"How could you have done that?" he hissed at himself before taking a deep breath to calm himself. He looked down at the dusty floor knowing all he had to do was follow the footprints in it to get back outside. He glared at the dust as his feet messed up the four prints heading to the water chamber.

He let his mind insult itself for being so foolish as he walked back to the chamber he had slept in the night before. The mindless ramblings that popped out of his mouth every now and then held more anger then most people would expect to find in a boy his age, and all of it directed at himself.

He let out a sigh as he looked at the cold embers of the fire before tossing his head to the side, trying to forget the chase entirely. Yet something kept tugging in the back of his mind, something he couldn't understand and wasn't about to waste time trying to.

Speeding up to a jog he followed the footprints of Zhao and his men back to the original chamber. Stopping to glance back he glared at the right tunnel before wheeling around and dashing out to the bright morning light and the cold water of the fall.

He sat on the edge of the pool for a moment before moving away. He told himself it was because he had to get back to camp, and get off of the island. But deep down he knew it was to get out of range for whatever waterbender was on the island.

Grumbling to himself about what he would do to Zhao for what he had tried to do to him he jogged back to the camp, not even taking the time to look at the sky or sea. He had seen far too much of both since being banished anyway.

He slowed to a walk about half way to camp figuring it best to enter camp not looking like a drowned rat, after all Zhao was going to be a big enough pain without giving him anything else to use against him.

Zuko moved deeper into the folds of the hills and sat down leaning against a steep slope of the hill. He let a sigh escape his lips as he brought a hand up to his head and touched the area that had smashed into the ground.

He winced as it touched the sensitive area and when he moved it away, back into his line of sight he wasn't surprised to see a slight bit of blood. He had scraped it up pretty badly but it was drying already, so he felt no need to worry about it. After all he was a firebender, and firebenders were able to take what ever came at them, that was why they would win the war.

"He is a fool," he hissed to himself before looking up at the sky and squinting against the early morning sun glaring down on him.

He wiped his bloody hand on the grass next to him before letting his head fall back and rest. He let his eyes slid closed before snapping them open, knowing it would be a foolish move to fall asleep in the open.

Even if he hadn't found anyone in the cave he didn't know if someone was in there, he had hardly been through all of it. And Zhao was still in a foul mood, more likely to kill him then the Earth King himself.

Slowly his eyes closed with a reluctance that surprised Zuko on some level as once more he let himself fall into an exhausted sleep, one that he knew he might not wake from.

Zhao glared at the men sitting in the room with him, all his own. They looked at the floor or at each other but knew better then to look at him. He had already showed his temper earlier and they didn't feel like being the next target.

Yet for all the work they did at not looking at him they all worried about what he could have done to be placed in there with them. He was a commander, he had respect every where he went. Even the Earth Kingdom troops they had met had shown him some respect, not much but it was there.

The five that had been charged with killing Zuko looked at each other not daring to look at the other men, fear of the hatred in the eyes of their fellow firebenders kept their heads bowed in shame and pain.

Zhao was not the commander they had expected. After being told they had lost the body of the prince he had decided to show the rest of the men what happened if they didn't follow orders to the letter. And none of them had expected to be awake a few hours latter. But there they where, sitting in the same room as the man that had broken their ribs and limbs.

All of them tried not to show the pain they were in but their eyes betrayed them, giving any whom looked a window into their inner thoughts. And the glares that would get tossed to them one by one where more damaging then anything they had physically gone through. They could always get stronger the Zhao and beat him in a duel. But to get their fellow firebenders to respect them would be a much harder thing to do, and not a one of them figured they could do it.

"Stop acting like a bunch of babies," one of the other firebenders snapped his anger outgrowing his fear of the commander for a moment. But his dark eyes darted over to Zhao not a moment latter only to receive an approving look from the other man.

"And who are you to tell us anything?" the second in command snapped, knowing full well he should be taking up the challenge.

"At least I can protect myself, and follow orders," the firebender said in a low voice, more anger than threat.

"So you can be some commanders lap dog. What an accomplishment," the second said before lifting his eyes to look at the tapestry on the wall. The smirk on his face was a testament to the mental status of all firebenders surviving in the army. All of them loved to destroy everyone and stay as strong as possible.

"Shut up," Zhao said in a flat voice that held all the anger and authority that he held. He glared at both men so as to keep them shut before silently wishing that he could die, if only to get out of that room.

The smell of so many bodies packed into the small, hot, area was making him sick. And the water and fish swimming past the windows above their heads made him very nervous as to how strong the boat really was.

The sound of boots tromping down the hall reached all the men, causing a group breath as they all forced themselves to stand and look ready for anything that came through the door. Yet Zhao and the five that had been beaten stayed seated, all figuring that there was noting that could be done to them that would be any worse.

"Get back," came the call from the other side of the door as the sound of keys reached Zhao's ears. He turned to look at the door; watching silently as his men moved back and the door swing open on the squeaky hinges that made him grit his teeth.

"Against the wall," the man snapped as he walked into the room, his green earth Kingdom robes made him look important, and his commanding tone hinted at a long time at the job. Yet the man that followed him was clearly the reason for whatever power he had over the firebenders.

"Commander Zhao, please come with us. There are many things we must speak of," the old man said looking right at the commander for all of a second before looking at the five that had yet to move. The questioning look he gave them earned him poisonous glares from them.

Zhao slowly got to his feet, an angry frown on his lips at so clearly being looked over by a simple old man. He mentally asked himself why he didn't just attack them right where they stood. But the answer to the question came faster then he wanted it to.

The seven other ships would kill anyone and everyone on the ship if they where to get free. And the thousand Earthbenders on the ship greatly outnumbered him and his men. He let the thoughts of what they where up against slip into the back of his mind as the old man moved out of the door way and into the hall once more.

"Commander Zhao, you will leave your weapons here," the announcer said pointing to the sword at his waist.

Zhao felt his teeth grind as he untied the sword and handed it to one of the firebenders. He felt the fire in his veins light back up at being asked to leave the mark of his position behind before nodding his head to the clerk and stepping out into the hallway with the younger man behind.

"Do as you are told and you might survive Commander," the man said stepping up beside him giving him a warning look before moving to stand next to his master and lord, leaving Zhao to his own thoughts of the best way to get out of the situation.

Iroh looked up at the men coming into the room he had, all solders wearing earthbender armor. He sighed softly to himself before he looked up at them with a lighter look on his face, the one he used to get his nephew to listen to him.

"Do you have any ginseng tea?" he asked as politely as he could before sitting there quietly waiting for the response.

"Yes, would you like some?" one of the men asked, his face hidden by his long hair and beard.

"It is my favorite," he said with a smile as the man gave a slight bow before leaving the room, to get the tea.

"General Iroh, please forgive the accommodations that you have been given, but with the king and his men staying on our best ship I fear that this is the best _we _have," the other said removing the helmet the he had put on before attacking the firebenders on the shore.

"It is quite alright, captain," Iroh said gently, slightly shocked at the comment. He was well known, not only for being the fire lord's brother but also for being one of the best generals in the army. So after nearly fifty years of killing earthbenders why was he being treated like an honored quest instead of the prisoner he was?

"The commander will wish to speak with you soon. But I must ask, where is prince Zuko? You were placed in charge of the boy two years ago. And yet we were unable to locate him with you. Why?" he asked in a slight rush, worry of where the temperamental prince could have gotten to fill him.

"I do not know," Iroh said with a heavy sigh. "I have not seen him since yesterday before the storm."

"What?" the captain asked in shock as the door was opened and the other man came back in holding a teapot and a couple of cups. The steam wafting from the pot gave testament to just how hot the liquid inside of it was.

The man placed the pot and three cups on the table before turning and leaving the two men alone again. The Captain moved and poured Iroh some tea before doing the same for himself before taking a seat near the older man.

"How is it possible that you have not seen your nephew in the past 20 hours? You are in charge of his well being," he asked looking at the older man, wondering if he was a great as they say he was.

"Zuko does not like listening to things, or people for that matter, but he is able to take care of himself for a few days," he said before taking a deep sip of the tea earning a grimace from the man sitting with him.

"It really isn't that hot to us you know," he said in a light voice as if it wasn't insulting that the man could forget he was a firebender.

"You know that we have to capture him," the captain said as the sound of several men walking down the hall caused all discussion to stop.

"Captain you had better not be spoiling him. He might be a general but he is a prisoner," said a man as old as Iroh as he walked in smiling warmly to the old firebender before closing the door behind himself, locking out his own men.

"You haven't changed a bit," Iroh said softly as he took another sip of his tea and poured a cup for his old rival.

"Neither have you. Tell me how is that leg?"

"Fine, only hurts when it snows, thankfully my nation is rather warm," Iroh said with a twinkle in his eye.

Both men nodded respectfully at each other before they grew serious once more. The look on their faces scared the captain slightly; it looked as if both of them were about to lose their heads.

"You know that we have the king in our fleet."

"Yes," the retired general said with a slight sigh.

"There will be no trial."

"Was there ever going to be?"

The three men looked at each other as they all took a sip of the calming tea and silently praying that the horrors of the day to come would vanish into thin air, and knowing deep down that there was nothing that could be done to change it.

The cawing of seagulls pulled Zuko back from the world of dreams. Sitting up quickly he groaned as the pain from the bump on his head came back in a sharp jab. Gritting his teeth he jumped to his feet before slowly walking back to where he believed camp to be.

It looked as if it had been over a day since he had last been there, and had any food. Silently insulting himself about how weak he was being he stopped himself from climbing the hill to look down at the camp.

If Zhao was still looking to kill him, just strolling in might be a bad idea. He might be able to beat Zhao but not all of the men the commander had with him, not without mastering the advanced sect at least. He thought about the best way to get to camp without announcing his presence to all when he finally let his sprit guide him a bit.

He stopped and listened to the bird's calling to each other overhead, and the sound of waves crashing against the shore. But try as hard as he might he couldn't hear a single person. And he just could picture Zhao and his men stay quite even after capturing his uncle.

Slowly he rounded the hill and looked at the plane that had been the camp for him and his fellow firebenders. But the 'huts' that had been constructed stood on different levels, some toppled over and some completely destroyed by what looked like an earthquake.

Squinting his good eye, he glared at the horizon before his eyes went wide at the sight of five Earth Kingdom ships bobbing on the surface of the sea. He turned and slid back to the shadowed side of the hill before trotting away from the destruction that had befallen his men.

He let the fact that the Earth Kingdom had captured his uncle and the rest of the men that depended on him. He felt his fists tighten and flame form around them as his legs kept pushing him onward to whatever destination he had picked.

He froze when once again the cave came into his view. The damn cave where he had spent the night while his uncle could have been attacked and possibly worse. The cave Zhao and his men had nearly killed in. The cave where he knew some thing wasn't right.

Snarling he sprinted into the cave, barley noticing the wetness of the water as he burst into the cave and sprinted down the right tunnel. He followed the foot prints in the dust back to the chamber he had slept in. it past him in a blur as he let his legs carry him back to the chamber with the water dripping in from the water fall outside.

The head bobbing just above the surface of the water gasped as it turned to look at him. The dark skin glowing in the light of the flame above his fist. Zuko stopped and glared at the person waiting for them to move. The hatred and anger flowing through his veins made him feel as if he could take even his father on.


	6. The Waterbender

((Hello everyone. I wanted to tell you how sorry I am that i havn't posted in a while but my mom was in a car crash not to long ago and well she just got out of the hospital and things still arn't back to normal around here. And She put a password on the computer so i couldn't get to my story. I know I'm just giving excusses but please forgive me. I will be posting more of my story in the next few days trying ot get ot the number that i should have had already posted. So keep a look out for it. Once again I am sorry for the wait.))

Katara looked at Zuko a look of horror on her face. She made to go back underwater, but found herself paralyzed by fear of the teen aged boy. Her blue eyes went wide as she tried to decide what to do, only to have him make the decision made for her.

"Get out of the water," he said simply his voice low, a threat barely concealed in it.

A blush rose to her face, setting her dark checks even darker. "…Um…." She tried to tell him to turn around but found that her voice was incapable of making a true word. The blush on her face darkened.

"Fine," he said in a huff, turning his back to her, knowing that there was no other way out, but the flame over his hand crackled menacingly, telling her what would happen if she attacked him.

The sound of water moving reached his ears, but he forced himself to stay where he was and give her some privacy, though he didn't know why he cared. He heard her step out of the pond, and pull her clothing on.

"I'm done," she said softly, almost to soft for either of them to hear. Her eyes where directed to the ground, not able to look him in the eye.

She couldn't believe that she had gotten past him the first time, only to get captured when he came back. How could she have been so stupid? She knew he was on the island, and she hadn't left. The buffalo whistle was in her pocket, for her to use when she wanted to be picked up.

Zuko turned around and glared at her, angry at the length of time she had taken. He studied her silently, trying to figure out why she was just standing there, and not fighting back. They had met a few times, and she had always used everything that she had at her disposal. So what was it about this time that was different?

"The Avatar isn't here is he?" Zuko hissed at her, his eyes going wide with anger, and the fire over his hand rose to reach the roof off the chamber, causing a few of the dried vines to smolder before the water in the air put the tiny flames out.

Katara only shook her head no, not having the nerve to look him in the eye just yet. The fact that he might have seen more then she wanted him to weighed heavily on her mind. And the fact that she could have avoided the entire situation wasn't helping her much either.

"Where is he?" Zuko asked stepping up to her after his temper had cooled off a bit. His face was for the most part blank, but his eyes sparkled with a desire that scared the young water tribes-girl when she finally looked up at him.

"Like I'd tell you," she snapped at him, some of her fire coming back, startling both of them. Her blue eyes went wide with fear as he took a few more steps closer to her, putting himself right in front of her.

"You will tell me. One way or another, you will tell me where the Avatar is hiding," he said softly to her, as he looked her in the eye, a smirk on his lips.

Taking a shaky breath Katara glared at him startled by how, calm he was being, and by how soft and, well gentle, his voice was. She tossed her head from side to side forcing herself to remember that this was the boy that had threatened her and her brother and Aang several times, the one that had tried to kill them on more then one occasion.

Zuko reached out his empty hand and touched her check lightly, wiping away a stray water drop. The look on her face at the tender action made his blood boil. When had he become such a monster, that any touch scared the people he dealt with? His men often times didn't trust his good moods, and even his uncle acted as if the kindness he could show was as bad for him as any illness.

"Come on," he said grabbing her hands and pulling them behind her back before pushing her towards the entrance of the chamber before him. His golden eyes narrowed in anger, but his kept the heat away from the hand holding her arms, not wanting to burn the poor girl.

Mentally smacking himself for worrying about her, he forced her down the proper tunnels and out into the waterfall. His mind was so wrapped up in why he was being nice to her that he forgot that she was a water bender, and was more then a little shocked when the stepped out without getting wet.

"No water bending," his hissed at her, not caring if it had kept him dry. The fact that she had done it without him noticing was bad; he really needed to focus right now. Not only did he have to deal with her, and sooner or later the Avatar but he also had to get his uncle and men off of the earth kingdom ships that they had been taken to.

He took a deep breath as he moved her around most of the hills and in the direction of camp. He prayed that there would be some chains or rope left, though he wasn't sure if they had even brought any off of the ships.

They walked silently, both of them lost in thought, not really paying attention to where they were going. Neither of them realized that the birds that had been flying around the island since they had arrived were finally silent.

They both stopped just short of stepping out from the protective cover of the last hill before they both heard the sound of troops on the ground, marching in formation. Zuko felt a slight tremble pass through the girl as the moved farther back.

His eyes went wide as her body pressed against his as the sound of the men came closer to them. He pulled her after him and started running to the cave. The sound of the earth kingdom's birds started to follow them.

Pulling her into the cave again he started down to the camber he had slept in only a few hours ago. He pushed her up to the roof and she grabbed onto the vines that were growing there. The fear on her face was more then he could bear to see. He pulled himself up and forced her higher into the plants, only to meet a strong resistance from her.

"Go," he hissed as he pushed her, the sounds of boots filling the tunnel before them.

Katara nodded her head silently and pulled she up the rest of the way, nearly calling out when she found that there was a small chamber above the one they had been in. her blue eyes where wide as she reached down and helped pull Zuko up alongside her.

The look on his face was full of curiosity as to why she had helped him. The girl could have pushed him down and waited out the Earth kingdom troops. But instead the girl had helped him, knowing full well he could, and more then likely would, hurt her later.

He glanced around, trying to get his barring so they could leave if need be. He pushed on the vines below him only to find that they were springy, and very sturdy. He made a small flame over his hand to show them the rest of the area they were in, fear of being discovered keeping it just large enough to see by.

The smooth rock walls of the cavern gave the impression that this chamber had been man made. And the tunnels that followed over the ones below had their own rock flooring. Slowly climbing to his feet, Zuko reached down and grabbed Katara's hand yanking her to her feet before silently dragging her to the tunnels leading to the mouth of the cave.

He felt her stumble as she managed to get her foot caught in the vines of the floor. Harshly pulling her free he kept going to the tunnel, feeling that the rocks would be safer then the vines. After all he could just picture the vines moving as they walked across them, giving the earth kingdom troop's the chance to catch them.

"You two, down the one to the left, and the rest come with me," came the voice of a man in command below them, earning a small gasp of fear from Katara. Her eyes wide with fear as she froze to her spot, suddenly becoming harder for Zuko to drag.

"We have to get off of the vines, they can move. We don't want to get caught," Zuko told her softly, praying that she would listen to reason.

Katara looked down at the vines under her feet, unsure of what to do. The Earth Kingdom troops would except any water bender, or water-tribesmen, and they would be safer then Zuko. But the fact that if she did go down to them would mean the princes capture she wasn't sure if she wanted that. Even after all that he had done to them, she didn't think that he had earned the punishment of being a prisoner of war. She had spent some time as that and knew how bad it could be.

Nodding her head she moved to the tunnel that he wanted, not sure why she made the decision, but feeling that it was the only one she really had. She reached out and grabbed his hand her footing unsteady on the vines textured surface.

He looked down at their joined hands, shock filling him as he led her over to the rock floor of the tunnel. He braced her as she kept loosing the weak footing that she had gained after her decision had been made. He silently wondered why she had picked him over the Earth Kingdom troops.

After reaching the rock flooring they sat down, the fear and adrenaline in their systems leaving both of them weak as they started to ebb away. They looked at each other their eyes wide with uncertainty as to how long they would be stuck up in the tunnel, waiting for the Earth Kingdom troops to leave.

Katara looked down at her hand, still clinging to his as if letting go would cost her everything. Slowly letting go she looked away from him, her face darkening with a blush that made her angry. Why should she be blushing? She could go down, go and tell the Earth Kingdom troops that Zuko was up here and her and Aang and Sokka wouldn't have to deal with him any more.

But in the pit of her stomach she felt the stab of fear at knowing for sure if the Earth troops in the cave would except her or not. She knew what to expect from Zuko but the men down there were unknown to her, and she didn't feel like dealing with them right now.

Moving to the edge of the tunnel, her back pressed against the wall she brought her knees up to her chest and placed her head on them, not caring if he saw a little bit of her legs. She closed her eyes and felt her mind empty in preparation for sleep, though she couldn't understand how she was going to sleep with Zuko in the same room as her, watching her like a predator.

Letting out a sigh she allowed herself to drift off to the land of dreams, praying that when she returned to the realm of the waking she would not need worry about the boy sitting across from her with a scowl on his face and a glare in his eyes.

Iroh looked up at the General of the Earth Kingdom troops; his face was twisted into a nasty grimace as he looked over the report from the men on the island. He looked over at Iroh, his face blank so as not to insult his old friend with the thoughts running through his mind.

"Well it looks as if you have bought yourself more time," he said to the firebender silently wondering if this was the plan all along. Both knew that Iroh wouldn't be able to escape the Earth Kingdom troops but the boy seemed to have done a fine job. Even with their earth-bending abilities, his men couldn't find the boy.

"You are going to use me as bait for the boy," the dragon of the west said simply knowing that his friend was only doing what he needed to do to help his people. Even the fire lords own brother had to admit the war was stupid and should end, but as long as his brother was in power there was nothing that any one could do to stop him.

"We need the boy. When the fire lord is defeated the other fire-benders might rally around him and finish what his father nearly did. We can't take the chance, you know that Iroh. And the same thing goes for you, I am sorry old friend," he said softly looking his friend in the eye, knowing full well the king was in a poor mood now that the boy had escaped them for the time being.

Iroh nodded his head as he took another sip of his tea, silently re-heating it to as to keep it to his liking. He was still a little surprised that he was left with his hands free and his firebending left alone. Even if the general was his friend those were mandatory things to deal with. But on the ship he was being treated as an honored guest, which was better then he was often treated on his nephews ship.

Letting out a heavy sigh at the thought of his nephew out on the island and virtually running for his life he looked at his friend. "Zuko's a good kid, only wants his father to notice him," he said finally breaking his sage like comments that he had been giving them for over an hour.

"Th fire lord banished him, that much almost everyone knows, but the why is still a mystery to most," the general said hinting he would like the answer to the unspoken question.

"That is not for me to say," Iroh said slipping right back in to his annoying past time, playing mind games with people.

"And to think the corporal didn't see what you where doing on that ride. I still can't believe that just you and your nephew that according to Commander Zhao hasn't even mastered the basics, beat the five of them," the general said lightly with a little laugh. "Must have been a wake up call to the corporal, he trains night and day now. Says he'll beat you two some day."

"I will look forward to the rematch with him. He was the only one that fought with honor and skill," Iroh said with a small smile on his face as he looked at the general.

"I will make sure to tell him of that," the Earthbender said with a smile.

"Such high praise from a man that is going to die," said a voice from the doorway. Both men tuned to see a waterbender step into the room. He bowed in respect to the general but shot Iroh a glare that would have scared most men.

"Captain, what is it?" the general asked looking at the man his distrust for the man clear on his face and in his voice.

"The men have returned from the island. They say there is no where for him to have hidden from them. They found a cave and sealed in up, only an earthbender could open it back up, so even if he had managed to hide from them in there he won't be coming out any time soon.

"Also Commander Zhao says that several of Zukos men clamed that the trip to the island was hard due to a waterbender in the area. They never saw it but they know that one is there. What are your orders?" the captain asked his face blank not wishing to upset his commanding officer any more.

"Try and see if there are any more hiding places on the island, and see if Zhao remembers anything of importance to us," he said with a wave of his hand dismissing the captain without a second thought.

"Yes sir," he said before bowing once again and leaving the room, a small smirk fixed firmly on his face as he walked down the hall and back to the man he had been trying to understand.

"He will betray you for power," Iroh said simply, not caring to make the statement softer.

"Yes he will. Only thing is, that would mean he was on my side to begin with. And to tell you the truth I don't think he's loyal to any one but himself. Just wish his majesty would see that and remove him from the ranks," the general said looking at the teapot.

"Would you like me to reheat it?" Iroh asked softly, his voice holding in a slight laugh at the little jump his friend gave at the comment before nodding his head.

Smiling to himself Iroh used his firebending to heat the pot to a temperature that both of them would like. The looked at each other small smiles on their lips and the picked up their cups and took a sip from them, not knowing how much longer they would get to enjoy each other company.

Zhao looked up from the floor of the room he was in, only to see the Captain that he had worked so hard to get rid of come sliding back into the room like the snake he was. He fought back a glare before waiting for the man to speak first.

Zhao knew what it would cost him to get sloppy now; he had spent the better part of three hours trying to convince the men to believe him about the water bender. Only he himself wasn't sure if he believe it. The men had sworn that it was so but surely there would have been some sign of the bender.

"My general is not happy that the boy has not been found. Have you dealt with him already Commander?" the man asked moving to look the commander in the face. His eyes shone with an intensity that scared Zhao in a way only the fire lord ever had.

"What ever do you mean?" he asked knowing he would be dead if the fire nation found out that he had killed the prince. The boy might be banished but his fame hadn't gone away, merely underground to avoid the fiery wrath of the boy's father.

"It is a well known fact that you and the boy have had disagreements. And your men where seen coming out of the cave. All of your favorite men commander. So please tell have you dealt with the boy on your own? No one will fault you," the captain said his eyes blazing with the chance to beat the general to a win.

"Did _I_ deal with the boy? No, but you might want to ask my men, if you're so sure they where coming out of the cave. Maybe they did to make things easier for all of us," he replied. He knew full well that he was on thin ice but he couldn't force his temper to vanish completely.

How could they have been so stupid as to miss the ship sitting in the second cove, to miss people watching them? Or even for him to take his men at their word that the boy had been dealt with. Though now it didn't matter. If the boy were found either way he would be dead soon enough. And so would the men that had failed him.

"But you ordered your men to kill him, did you not? And are we sure that they listened to you? They might have been more loyal to the boy then you. After all he did manage to beat you," the Captain said a smile on his thin lips.

"If your asking if I wanted him dead then yes, I did. It's hardly a secret as you yourself pointed out. But did I kill the son of my Lord? How could you even suggest that? I am loyal to my Lord, are you loyal to your king, because that is also a well-known fact. And it is hard to believe that you have any power right now," Zhao said stopping his insults only when the mans fist cam in contact with the side of his head, sending him toppling over.

"I will ask you one more time, did you tell your men to deal with Zuko?" the captain hissed his temper getting the better of him.

"Yes," Zhao said from his place on the floor.

"And did they?"

"You'll have t ask them. I had more important things to deal with."

"Ah yes. Things like getting captured," the Captain said turning and walking out of the room leaving Zhao bond and on the floor silently cursing the man and for once praying that Zuko was alright.


End file.
